1. Field of the Disclosure
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a swimming pool safety system and method. More particularly, the embodiments described herein relate generally to a preservation mechanism for lifting a human-sized object to the top of a swimming pool, an underwater detection array that senses and detects a human-sized object within a swimming pool, and a preservation controller that actuates the preservation mechanism based on an analysis of inputs from both the underwater detection array an a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
The common enjoyment of the recreational facilities associated with outdoor or in-ground swimming is well recognized. One serious problem associated with the increased availability of domestic swimming pools, however, is an attendant danger for infants and small children as well as other individuals that are not proficient at swimming. The danger of inadvertent drowning is increased, at least to some extent, by the fact that most domestic swimming pools are easily accessible even when the property or area at which the pool is located is protected by some type of fence or like barrier.
As a result, various types of increased protection have been proposed. Such increased protection can take the form of a pool bottom platform or device that lifts a swimmer out of the water. The disadvantages, as recognized by the present inventor, of the current pool bottom platforms and safety devices lie in the means in which they are actuated. Many require manual activation while others only provide rudimentary detection mechanisms outside of the pool in order to actuate the pool bottom platform or safety device. There are limited pool safety devices that provide a useful amount of underwater safety detection within the swimming pool itself.
There exists a need, as recognized by the present inventor, to have a pool safety system that not only lifts an object out of the water but also be able to provide advanced detection capability that can recognize different situations or scenarios of underwater events and take distinct and appropriate actions based on the parameters of those underwater scenarios.